Purefoy to Join NBC's Philanthropist
From The Hollywood Reporter:James Purefoy circles NBC series
Network execs had been courting 'Rome' star
By Nellie Andreeva
July 21, 2008, 01:00 AM ET
NBC is closing in on its "Philanthropist," with Brit James Purefoy in negotiations to play the lead in the midseason drama series.
"Philanthropist," from UMS, centers on a renegade billionaire (Purefoy) who uses his wealth, connections and power to help people in need no matter the risks or costs.
NBC brass had courted Purefoy for some time, including flying the "Rome" star from the U.K. to Los Angeles for a meeting.
The casting of the lead comes nearly a year after NBC gave the project a 13-episode series order and three months after the network put it on its 2008-09 schedule.
It also follows the recent change at the helm of "Philanthropist," with David Eick taking over following the departure of original writer/executive producer Tom Fontana and exec producer Barry Levinson.
Peter Horton is set to direct the pilot for the series, which is slated to premiere in the Monday 10 p.m. slot in midseason.
Earlier this year, Purefoy, repped by CAA and Brillstein Entertainment Partners, was attached to "The Saint," an independently produced two-hour backdoor pilot with Levinson on board to direct, but the project didn't go forward.Labels: 2008, Barry Levinson, James Purefoy
4 Comments:
Well......disappointment.......This could have been somewhat of a landmark series.....after a long walk in the desert it would have been nice for some water in the oasis. Lets still hope for a new future Templar to arise.
It's too bad that Purefoy won't be playing Simon Templar. He would have been very good in the part. I'd like to suggest that they consider Alexander Siddig, from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, for the part if the series is still produced. Hopefully they won't stop production all together due to the recent delays and set-backs.
Although I still think Alexander Siddig would be very good in the role of Simon Templar I also feel Adrian Paul, from the Highlander TV series, would be very good in the part. I think Siddig's Templar would be younger and more "worldly." Paul's Templar, on the other hand, would be a little older/more mature and probably a little more British (in my opinion). Either way, I don't feel the producers could go wrong by casting Siddig or Paul as a replacement for Purefoy. Hopefully the producers of "The Saint" series will simply recast then "re-tool" a bit and still go forward. I'd really love to see "The Saint" back on the screen again.
Watched the Philanthropist tonight in it's American Premier. In a scene with a drug kingpin the man turns to Teddy Rist the Purefoy character and says "so your the famous Teddy Rist".
A nod to The Saint no doubt. Oh well.
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